


The gift of a friend

by hunnyB



Category: RWBY
Genre: Blake Belladonna Needs a Hug, But oc i'm late, Day 18, Day 20, Far Future, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, JanuRWBY, Just Friends loving each other, No Romance, POV Weiss Schnee, Schnee Dust Company (RWBY), Teams/Partners/Found Families, Weiss Schnee-centric, Weiss takes the company
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28897908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunnyB/pseuds/hunnyB
Summary: Weiss has always disliked the way her father handled the company, or people, or anything, really. Now that she took over the company and is not submitted to his will, she aims to change things for the better.****She walks forward because she knows she has people that will catch her if she falls. And she's ready to return the favor.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee & Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 18
Kudos: 46





	The gift of a friend

The party inside the Schnee Manor, hosted to celebrate the 'new' heiress of the family after Jacque fell, was, to use Weiss' own words, unnecessary and unwanted, a huge waste of time for those unworthy Atlesians that she knew, of course, would show up merely to act nice and supportively, going as far as to swallow down their dislike toward her to ingratiate her.

She of course never did buy it. She more than anyone knew what brought these people, some even the same that attended the charity event where she had first summoned a Grimm against a stupid lady, to show up at her party with fancy accessories and pretty smiles.

It was infuriating, the way they didn't give a damn about what was happening, from the war with the Grimm to those below their rich status who died for poverty or illness, and Weiss - shivering at the thought that she could have once been misinterpreted for one of them - would rather not waste time with such worthless things.

But they had _kindly_ obliged her to invite the Atlesians and make her nominee official, so as long as nothing happened and the party remained just that, an alternative and enjoyable fun night, she didn't mind, because...

She turned around and her eyes flickered with fondness as soon as they drifted to the three girls gorgeously dressed staring at the incredibly large buffet occupying an entire wall. The other invited - team JNP, Oscar, Sun and Neptune - somewhere else in the room.

_We won't leave your side for a second, I promise!_

Her lips curled upward in a tender smile as she gazed at them, the only thing that mattered in her life since she had escaped the prison her home had become, or even since she joined Beacon and took her spot in team RWBY.

With her grown hair gathered on her shoulder and her cloak reluctantly left in their dorm, Ruby was wearing a beautiful, red, sleeveless dress with pieces of transparent blake mesh arranged over her left hip, around her neck and shoulder, and as an extension over her fluffy skirt to reach under her knees, the twenty-year-old still too shy to wear anything more daring. But she still had agreed, for Weiss, to wear her high red heels.

Her sister, of course, was the exact opposite and exhibited her confidence in her short, halter neck, golden dress equipped with a deep cleavage that also fully exposed her sharp shoulder blades. The knee-length skirt was multilayered, the colors fading from the basilar yellowish shade of the dress to the darker honey orange of the piece laced around the waist, revealing the same pattern of colors embroidered on her bodice. She also wore long, golden gloves, orangish heels, and had her precious blonde hair tied up in a somehow straight ponytail.

Since this was Weiss' special night, Blake had also decided to try on a slightly lighter shade of purple against the one she usually wore: she had been encouraged to wear a sheath dress with short sleeves, a laced back, and a knee-length skirt. Her dark hair, cut short, had been slightly curled and she also wore short, fingerless black gloves and black heels to complete the outfit. She had specifically requested not to cover her cat ears anymore, but her quiet and shy attitude around the Atlesians denounced her state of uneasiness of being exposed.

Weiss' dress wasn't really different from her usual wardrobe, even though it had been made specifically for this event: it was a full-length, strapless dress with a subtle torn on one side that fell from her knee to show the lower part of her legs and her silver heels when she walked. The fabric of the dress had a viewable color graduation from a blurred blue on her top to pale blue on the bottom, and the skirt set off from a thin and refined white sash tied around her waist. Over her dress she wore an elegant matt white blazer with blue lining and her usual off-center ponytail. The hems of dress and jacket were also stitched to resemble snowflakes and the Schnee's symbol was as per usual painted on her back.

Everyone was wearing the dresses she had specifically entrusted to her preferred tailor's shops, ran by a kind and friendly Atlesian woman, one of the few she knew didn't use the "No Faunus" tag outside the shop and didn't throw dirty glances to Blake's ears and Sun's tail, instead welcoming them with open arms and a genuine smile. That had made Blake more comfortable and brought Sun to wear a _full_ suit.

When they had been presented with the models of their soon-to-be dresses, Yang had asked, both to the designer and to her teammates, the permission to apply some small changes, and was complimented when done. She was in fact the one to suggest the substitution in Ruby's dress with some mesh, the aperture in Weiss', and the laced back in Blake's, coaxing them to ease off for one night. Yang had successfully made Weiss loosen up a bit at her joke of having _Yanged_ them.

In the meantime, she had asked for a pair of matching long gloves to hide her prosthetic and "evade wrong attention", as she had put it. Weiss had scoffed, rolled her eyes, and added she would have attracted people's eyes nonetheless.

And that she did.

When Weiss had voiced her thoughts about not celebrating her nominee - causing a lot of trouble to those working for her family who almost pleaded her to -, her teammates had insisted on helping organize the event within some limits so that there would still be a party, but it wouldn't be as stressful for the young woman.

That night the air outside was chilly but the limpid sky vibrating with the faint lights of the far-off stars seemed to anticipate a peaceful evening. Inside the house they all seemed to be enjoying the time off-duty, both drinking or simply chatting. Weiss spent the first hours talking to guests - mostly because she was kinda forced to by etiquette and family's not-written laws -, stealing occasional glances to her teammates, the three girls visibly enjoying themselves, that always managed to stir an embarrassingly genuine smile on her face.

She knew she looked a bit absent when people - wearing the same, built, fake mask as everyone else - complimented her and wished her to take good care of the Schnee's company, mostly trying to be on her good side since now she was in charge of the greatest and most influential dust industry in all Remnant.

Weiss did what she always did: put a pretty smile on her face and used honey-coaxed words to reassure them she would, but deep within repelled the additional comment that had it been solely on her, this party would have been behind closed doors and for none other than her friends and team to enjoy.

The tension and falsehood inside the room annoyed her. Daring people would sometimes ask about the relationship she held with her teammates, and though she smiled and swallowed the bile rising in her throat whenever they criticized their decency or threw nasty looks at them, Blake and Sun specifically, she made sure to stress that those words weren't welcomed, either using her sharp tongue or her icy looks. And they backed off.

As the night went on without major problems and people began to quench their thirst, Weiss could actually feel herself starting to relax, mainly because she could finally spend some time with her teammates now that she had greeted everyone and the party had officially started.

"Weiss!"

The high-pitched, sweet voice of her partner drew her from her thoughts once again, and she tilted her head to her side to see Ruby glancing slightly annoyed, but with just as much concern brimming in her silver eyes, at her.

"Are you okay?" Ruby carefully asked, grasping her arm and moving them some feet away to talk privately.

Weiss smiled tenderly at her partner and nodded, squeezing her hand back. "Yes, I'm just _really_ tired of all these people." she whined, leaning closer but acting casual, aware not to make it seems like she was badmouthing of them in her friend's ear. Even though she was.

Ruby giggled and glanced at the crowd of adults surrounding them and chatting among themselves, feeling some quizzical glances thrown their way from time to time.

Weiss sighed, noticing the same. "It's really annoying to have all these eyes on my back."

"I promise you just get used to it, Ice Queen." Yang grinned, stepping in front of them with the usual sway of her hips, hands dangling down either side and back straight. As if to prove her point, many eyes turned in her direction, the blonde's grin widening at the attention. Weiss scoffed, but the sudden blush painting her pale face elicited a collective laugh from her teammates.

"You're shameless."

"Maybe I am." she cocked a grin and leaned on one side, raising the robotic arm with her open palm facing the sky, as if she was posing. Her action earned a sigh from the shorter girl.

"Blake! How do you even cope with her?" Weiss looked at the Faunus for support but saw her shrug and bit back another laugh.

Oh well, at least she made her laugh.

She hid the self-satisfactory curve of her lips by shaking her head dramatically. "You're the worst." it should have been a lament, but her softer tone and restrained smile underlined the opposite meaning of her words.

Ruby poked her side playfully and grinned at her. "You _love_ us."

She rolled her eyes playfully, but turning around, Ruby missed the words that she whispered next. "Maybe I do."

At some point she had to excuse herself to speak to General Ironwood and the other members of the council. The conversation moved from the congratulations for her nominee to some current political matters she found herself paying serious attention to, and _of course_ something had to happen at that exact moment.

She didn't hear anything at first, outside the annoying voice of drunk guests - which she grew used to see as a characteristic feature of those parties - but in between the dialogue with the council's members, her ears had suddenly filtered out all the sounds of the room beside one - or the person in question had simply spoken really loud - that she heard clear and loud.

"What' a Faunus doin' in her'?"

Weiss tilted her head toward the source of the voice and saw, from the corner of her eyes, her interlocutors do the same. Knowing the conversation had come to an end, she excused herself to their confused faces once again and stepped toward where she knew her friends were.

Sun was standing as straight as she's never seen him be, chest puffed out and tail moving erratically as he stared deep into a man's dilated pupils, teeth gritted in pure rage. Behind him stood Yang, her right arm raised at her side to keep her partner and sister behind her as if to shield them, her exterior stillness betrayed by red burning eyes and lightly glowing hair. The others were all around them, mostly beside Sun to support him and behind Yang to comfort Blake.

The sight was enough to make any question Weiss had in her mind find the answer on its own.

"Is there a problem here?" She asked with a firm tone, not minding the sharp edge of her voice. Concern brimmed in her icy orbs as she glanced toward Blake, hand holding onto her arm and chin lowered as to make herself as small as possible, and morphed into suppressed anger when it traveled to the man in front of her, a grin splattered on his face and a half-empty glass of wine held tightly between his fingers.

She repressed a sigh.

"Miss Schnee, she's a' intrude'!" He shouted, his stinky breath drenched in the smell of alcohol.

Weiss arched her eyebrow unwavering, leaning on her side and crossing her arms over her chest, very firmly holding the man's stare. Her eyes twitched, and though she held back for both her family name and her friends, the flames in her eyes were unmistakable.

Only a very drunk man could not acknowldege them.

"You let a freakin' Faunus snuck in your manor!" The man shouted. Those around them started to whisper, their eyes falling multiple times on the concerned cat Faunus, and as soon as she noticed the intrusive stares, Yang stepped in front of Blake to shield her.

"You' even a coward." He mocked, pointing at Yang and then deliberately dropping his gaze down on her with a mischievous grin as wide as his pupils. Yang scoffed and Blake's eyes sparked with a new-found determination and hatred, and she tugged on Yang's arm to make her move.

"Leave."

Everyone stopped moving, eyes growing wide in surprise as they turned to Weiss, finding the always collected and serious girl replaced instead by an extremely angered friend, fists shaking with anger.

"Why should _I_ leave? 'this become a farm?" He laughed, throwing dirty glances around and drinking the remaining liquid in his glass. "You would hav' said bring _animals_."

"What did you say!?"

Yang's fists clenched and cracked, Sun's teeth gritted loudly, and Ruby's lips thinned in defiance, but Weiss was the first to actually speak.

"She's a... a _Faunus._ An _animal. This should not be allowed_!"

Weiss snorted, her lips bitterly framing the ghost of a sardonic smile and a humorless laugh.

"Maybe you're so drunk you forgot where you are."

The man turned around perplexed and seemed to thoughtfully reflect on her words, but snapped out of it as soon as he glanced around and saw the men and women staring directly at Weiss with the same conflicting emotions, fear, puzzlement, curiosity.

He glanced back at her and smirked. "Isn' this the 'new heiress' party? You mantain order this way?" the man glanced down at his empty glass and then back up at her. "Your father chose the worst of three."

"Now you've done it!" Sun stepped forward angrily but collided with Weiss' arm, question knitting his brow, draining a burst of laughter out of the drunk man's lips.

"Sun!" Ruby called him back, and the boy hesitantly backed off with a sigh, eyes glued to Weiss and slipping from time to time to Blake, the catgirl mirroring his own fury.

"You kids acting all brave an' fearless when you know nothi—" Before the last words could make it out his mouth, a collective gasp echoed in the room at the sudden appearance of a tall and imposing pale-colored Beowulf hovering on him, sharp teeth in full sight and frozen eyes piercing straight into him. A scream erupted from his throat and he fell on the ground, crawling as far away from it as possible.

"You yourself talk with the impertinence of someone who has actually seen a Grimm, or fought one." Weiss belittled him, tilting her head curiously to her side while petting her summoned creature. "But have you?"

Silence answered her question - his mouth gaping open and trembling under the weight of a silent reply. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Of course you haven't. But you people really have a big mouth, don't you?"

The loud growl of the creature died out, its body dissolving into white, snowflakes-like dust, and was replaced by the steady beat of thin heels clicking against the hard floor and echoing in the empty room, making chills run up his spine.

Weiss halted right in front of his clutched position but her eyes flicked up to the crowd of guests. "In case it isn't clear enough, I'll say it once again for everyone to hear. But*,* know that I _hate_ repeating myself." she stated, voice sharp and unfaltering.

"I'm nothing like my father. I don't need to act nice with you to get what I want. I'll _earn_ it with my own forces." The weight those words spoke with confidence held and the troubled expressions they incited made a feeling of self-satisfaction bloom deep within her chest.

"So, if someone _dares_ to hurt or insult my friends, or even just throw one wrong _glance,_ " she emphasised the last word by fixing her icy orbs on the man still shaking on the ground. "they'll have to be mindful that I won't hold back to avenge them."

She backed off a little, basking in the dreadful silence filling the room. "That being said, is there someone who wishes to exit the room before I not-so-politely escort them out myself?" She asked, her tone growing more gentle but remaining still as sharp.

Once again, she was met with no replies.

" _Good_ , then please go back to enjoy the party." The young heiress smiled kindly like she hadn't just threatened all the guests of the room, and some more seconds passed before the hall started to fill with sounds, whispers, and discussions. Weiss sighed quietly in relief and turned to her teammates and friends, her face softening the exact moment she led her eyes on them.

"And that's how it's done!" Sun winked at her, and Weiss threw him a glare that conveyed a mix of her usual coldness but also amusement. Neptune stood on the side, appearing starstruck just like Jaune and Ren, while Nora bounced joyfully all over the place.

But Weiss' eyes drifted shily on her teammates, excitement and pride overflowing from every pore. She chewed on her lips at the smile threatening to show and instead focused her attention on Blake, remembering how distressed and uncomfortable she had seemed all night.

"Blake, I'm so sorry for what happened." She apologized, grabbing her hands between hers and squeezing them in an attempt to give her comfort. She shook her head at the feeling pooling in her gut of eyes watching her, scrutinising her and her _team_ , opting to momentarily ignore everyone outside her troubled friend.

"I'm... Sorry. For ruining your day." Blake scoffed, eyes cast down and cat ears flattered sadly against her head, her face losing the spark of happiness it first had.

Weiss smiled, cradling Blake's face in between her hands to force the Faunus to meet her blue eyes. "Don't apologize. I would rather throw all of them out and enjoy this night with you three than having you feel this way because of some... Shitty rich stuck-up."

What could have been the beginning of a smile was lost to Weiss once she heard a gasp at her side and glanced that way to see Ruby's surprised— no, _shocked_ expression fixed on her, hands covering her bewildered yet delighted smile. "You _cursed_."

Weiss stopped short, her eyes growing wide and her cheeks fading red as she mentally repeated what she just said. "No I didn't!"

"Yes you _did_!" Ruby chuckled and moved away from the embarrassed heiress to escape her fury, and Weiss threw herself at her laughing partner, telling her to shut up.

The sight made Blake's lips twitch upward. The righteous fury that had burned in Yang eyes only a few moments earlier - temporarily morphed into astonishment during Weiss' show of defiance - melted as soon as her violet gaze met warm amber, her crinkled traits softening into a fond smile.

Blake noticed and twisted her head in her direction, gaze drifting down under the weight of the feelings that powerful stare held, hiding the cute flush of her cheeks. "You really _are_ shameless." she whispered, hoping she had spoken quite enough to not be heard by her. But the widening grin on her partner's face warned her of the opposite, and the blush deepened even more.

Yang opened her mouth but closed it the instant she felt something pulling at her arm and then saw Ruby rushing to hide behind her.

Weiss scoffed at her, the girl playfully sticking her tongue out in the heiress' direction while she shielded behind her sister, laughing all the meantime. Sighing at her childish - yet secretly endearing - behavior, Weiss threw a concerned 'Are you okay?' glance to Blake, and relaxed when she nodded and smiled gratefully at her.

Happy and reassured to know she was saying the truth, she smiled back and approached her teammates, obeying the urge to wrap them all in a hug. The unexpected gesture earned a collective surprised gasp from the squeezed group - and maybe from someone else watching them - but was nonetheless unhesitantly accepted and returned.

Weiss' mind was clear as it had never been, filled with the only, aching thought that she had the _right_ to share how much these people meant for her and especially do it as freely as she liked. And she didn't care who was watching, not when it came to her friends, her _family_.

So, despite the extra stares intruding the moment, she decided she wanted to let them know what she had always untruthfully denied.

"You were right, Ruby."

The younger threw her a curious - and quite shocked - look.

And so, she said back those three, simple words that to her sounded like an eternal promise of devotion and protection.

"I do love you."

**Author's Note:**

> Dec 18, that's when I started writing this thing. I thought I could get it out in time for either day of the #januRWBY but I've been so stressed and busy lately that I ended it today. 
> 
> I /love/ to write about Yang, and also Ruby, so I've never tried something serious centered on Weiss or Blake specifically. I got to say, I love these two just as much as I love every pair in team RWBY (not necessarily in a romantic way, Bumblebee tops in that).  
> I did try to describe their dresses because I kinda drew them while writing (it really took me an entire day to come up with it ahahahah) so I hope it's readable. 👉👈  
> It's nothing too special, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :D  
> And follow me on twitter (@FirecrackerKoG) for constant RWBY's updates and Fanfiction! 
> 
> Love youuu and Stay safe! 🥰👋


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